The King of Thailand

[Winston Smith]

The amount of 60 seconds that I waste throughout the week I am more than happy to 'give up' a few more to show respect for someone who had died, who by all accounts was someone to have had a positive impact on millions of lives, and means a lot to RFC's owners.

It's 60 seconds ffs. How can anyone be moaning about that?

[leon]

Frankly Im not interested in any Royal Family. Ours included.

[Winston Smith]

Why do we have to have a minutes silence twice!!!! Normally this time of year we have rememberance for OUR 'fallen'. It seems to me that our owners don't give a toss about our 'FALLEN'.

Minutes silence for that is always at the match closest to 11th November, which Saturdays match wasn't.

[tmesis]

We pretty much do.

Why did we do another one yesterday?

The Thai Prime Minister has declared a year's mourning...

I think there are two mourning periods. The year one is just for government officials. The one for normal people is a month, so that ought to be the last one they'll consider, as we don't have another home game before the month is up.

Then again, a society where respect and mourning can mean gogo dancers wearing sexy black outfits, isn't a predictable one.

[North Somerset Royal]

great shame that the club did not take the opportunity to honour the war dead at what was the last home game before armistice day.

I'd imagine that will be the Burton match as it's the closest to the 11th.

I hope that you are right but Everton and some other clubs in a similar position did it this week-end and it is not usually done after the event iirc.

[WAZZOCK]

I think I've seen it advertised as our Remembrance fixture somewhere. It makes sense doing it as close to the 11th, whether that be before or after. Fixtures haven't been kind with the 11th weekend being internationals, so it's a bit of a tricky one.

[North Somerset Royal]

I think I've seen it advertised as our Remembrance fixture somewhere. It makes sense doing it as close to the 11th, whether that be before or after. Fixtures haven't been kind with the 11th weekend being internationals, so it's a bit of a tricky one.

Lets hope that it happens and we don't just have yet another tribute to the late K of T

[Royal Ginger]

Why do we have to have a minutes silence twice!!!! Normally this time of year we have rememberance for OUR 'fallen'. It seems to me that our owners don't give a toss about our 'FALLEN'. If this happens again for our next home game I will be leaving for the exit.

Lolz, how silly.

[Royal Ginger]

It's culturally important to the people who own the club, they do things differently. They're using what they have to demonstrate their profound sorrow, we the fans are just tools. The club is their thing, I'm a guest in their stadium so will be respectful.

You get in free then?

At worst we are paying guests and therefore our thoughts (whether in agreement or disagreement) should be taken into account.

I'm sure they considered our thoughts and then openly dismissed them under the category of 'it's only 60 seconds, it's my club, they'll get over it' and we will.

[floyd__streete]

we the fans are just tools.

I'd certainly agree, you are all a bunch of tools

At worst we are paying guests and therefore our thoughts (whether in agreement or disagreement) should be taken into account.

Quite. And those who run the club on a day-to-day basis and those who own it would do well to remember that RFC is a British football club, the owners - transient as they are - have achieved nothing at this stage to command the loyalty of the Reading public. Imposing their own culture upon the club is unlikely to endear them to the people of Reading, especially when in the background they are more than open to offers to take the club of their hands

[P!ssed Off]

The amount of 60 seconds that I waste throughout the week I am more than happy to 'give up' a few more to show respect for someone who had died, who by all accounts was someone to have had a positive impact on millions of lives, and means a lot to RFC's owners.

It's 60 seconds ffs. How can anyone be moaning about that?

'By all accounts'?
You've not heard about the numerous Thais imprisoned and beaten up for criticising him?


Let's face it, if we were owned by North Koreans, the majority of you lot would be on your feet paying respects to the passing of a dear leader.

[bobby m's syrup]

I am grateful to the Thai consortium for stepping in and at least providing enough for the team to perform reasonably at Championship level. As such, I feel that a mark of respect is fair enough, but once only. This is a British club, playing in the UK.

I would like to think that the hours I and many others stood at Elm Park, not to mention away fixtures at places like Gillingham, Scunthorpe and Workington. endow a slightly higher status than that of paying guest. The same is true of the die hard ST holders and for that matter, everyone who has a place for Reading FC in their hearts. Business or not, the club is nothing without its supporters and the concept of being a guest at a home venue is a little tenuous.

[genome]

Fcuking hell this thread is worse than the other one

[tmesis]

The amount of 60 seconds that I waste throughout the week I am more than happy to 'give up' a few more to show respect for someone who had died, who by all accounts was someone to have had a positive impact on millions of lives, and means a lot to RFC's owners.

It's 60 seconds ffs. How can anyone be moaning about that?

'By all accounts'?
You've not heard about the numerous Thais imprisoned and beaten up for criticising him?


Let's face it, if we were owned by North Koreans, the majority of you lot would be on your feet paying respects to the passing of a dear leader.

You seem to be under the impression that the two are equivalent, and Thais really live in fear of being sent to the labour camps, and their love of him is fake.

He's also wasn't a ruler of the country, let alone a dictator. Thailand has a constitutional monarchy, just as we do.


Rules such as their lese majeste law do naturally make us suspicious, but there's hardly a long list of stuff to criticise him for, considering that he'd been king since 1946.

Whether we should be holding multiple minute's silences for him is a different matter though.

[P!ssed Off]

The amount of 60 seconds that I waste throughout the week I am more than happy to 'give up' a few more to show respect for someone who had died, who by all accounts was someone to have had a positive impact on millions of lives, and means a lot to RFC's owners.

It's 60 seconds ffs. How can anyone be moaning about that?

'By all accounts'?
You've not heard about the numerous Thais imprisoned and beaten up for criticising him?


Let's face it, if we were owned by North Koreans, the majority of you lot would be on your feet paying respects to the passing of a dear leader.

You seem to be under the impression that the two are equivalent, and Thais really live in fear of being sent to the labour camps, and their love of him is fake.

He's also wasn't a ruler of the country, let alone a dictator. Thailand has a constitutional monarchy, just as we do.

Rules such as their lese majeste law do naturally make us suspicious, but there's hardly a long list of stuff to criticise him for, considering that he'd been king since 1946.

Whether we should be holding multiple minute's silences for him is a different matter though.

Is our monarchy used to justify military coups, and maintain dictatorships within the UK?
You're not just 'being respectful', you're being used as a pawn.

[TheLawnMowerMan]

Little mention on here that this King did nothing to repeal laws that puts people in prison for voicing criticism to him or his family.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-33819814
I show respect for what people do rather than for the privilege and status they were born into.
There should be demonstrations against Thailand's "Lèse majesté" laws rather than a minutes' silence (twice) for the King.
Sadly most people know very little about Thailand other than the Lady Boys in Bangkok and mail order brides.

[Sutekh]

Little mention on here that this King did nothing to repeal laws that puts people in prison for voicing criticism to him or his family.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-33819814
I show respect for what people do rather than for the privilege and status they were born into.
There should be demonstrations against Thailand's "Lèse majesté" laws rather than a minutes' silence (twice) for the King.
Sadly most people know very little about Thailand other than the Lady Boys in Bangkok and mail order brides.

And the schoolboy comedy pronunciation of Phuket

[tmesis]

Is our monarchy used to justify military coups, and maintain dictatorships within the UK?
You're not just 'being respectful', you're being used as a pawn.

A pawn?

They've had loads of coups, that's true, but they are not like the military juntas of South America. It does not feel remotely like a being in a military state. Thai society does seem a little odd at times, with governments and political parties treated like naughty children who have to have their toys taken away every now and then if they won't play nicely. It's not how we do things over here, but there was a risk of escalation towards perhaps even civil war before the coup, and the coup was to prevent that.


Overall though, anyone who has been to Thailand or knows any Thai people will tell you the depth of feeling towards him is completely genuine. You don't hear of Thais who have "escaped" from the country, telling tales of persecution from an evil regime, in a country where people pretend to love the king because it would be dangerous not to.



Something tells me you didn't know a single thing about him until a couple of weeks ago, and have just done a bit of desperate googling to trying to make your dislike of the minute's silence sound like it has a bit of substance.

There's nothing wrong with thinking it's a bit daft for an English football club to have a minute's silence for the king of a different country. Just stop trying to pretend there's some kind of deep principal to your objection, when there isn't.

[ladida_gunner_graham]

Surely this discussion is not a judgment on whether the King of Thailand is good and fair ruler or not, but whether it's appropriate for Reading FC to be honouring him multiple times before games. I'd vote absolutely no - not even once. Most Reading fans didn't know of his existence. He has no relevance to the club, this country or football. The owners are still recent and have not yet earned the right to force us to politely indulge them.

The minute silences before kick off should be emotional and relevant, but it has become meaningless and trite.

[leon]

Fcuking hell this thread is worse than the other one

I'm confused. What other one?